There is so much about this story that really works. The particular standout, for me, was the way there are occasionally seemingly paranormal things going on, but it still...makes sense? Think magical realism with logical explanation. Actually, don't think that because that statement makes zero sense...but the story works.

"A bone...A doll...Blood...A witch took the farmer's kid."

This book creeped me out more than anything I've read before, and I loved every page!
The Shadow House has two narrators, Alex and Renee. While their stories are very similar, they don't come together immediately.
Alex moves to Pine Ridge, an ecovillage, hoping for a fresh start for herself and her kids, baby Kara and teenage Ollie. Alex is struggling to balance life and works hard to be a good mother to both of them. From the start, Alex is trying hard to fit in and forge new relationships, but things just don't seem right. The longer Alex stays, the more unsure she becomes of Pine Ridge, its residents, and its past.
Renee lives in a farmhouse with her husband and son, Gabriel. After some strange experiences: a dead cat, a doll, and bloody walls, Gabriel disappears.
The two stories intertwine as Alex seeks to find answers for the bones, dolls, and blood that have plagued her family before Ollie suffers the same fate as Gabriel.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my eARC of The Shadow House in exchange for my honest review.

Single mother, Alex, has taken her two children (fourteen-year-old Ollie and baby, Kara) to live in an ecovillage (Pine Ridge) far away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney,
Australia. Pine Ridge used to be a flower farm and its landscape is dominated by a large farmhouse which no one lives in and, curiously, no one seems interested in renovating. Alex’s reasons for moving to the village are complex. She has a history of running when things get tough and, this time, it’s an abusive relationship she’s fleeing from. She’s tired and frustrated– her daughter is teething, she’s getting no sleep, and her son is secretive, hostile, and not at all happy with the move.

At first glance, the village seems idyllic, but upon arrival at the house she’s renting, Alex discovers a box left on the porch which contains, ominously, a dead bird. Strange carvings on the trees along the forest path, noises in the night, and her own anxiety for the safety of her children, create an atmosphere of unease and tension. Add in, a story told to Alex by one of the local children of a witch living in the woods who could be targeting her son, Ollie, and you have the perfect setting for a ghost story.

The Shadow House by Anna Downes is what I’d call “Australian Gothic” at its best. Everyone in this novel has secrets, some benign, some fraught with peril. The narrative switches back and forth between two women – Alex, telling her story in the first person, and Renee, the former occupant of the farmhouse. Slowly, secrets are revealed as the tension increases and the mysteries escalate.

I really enjoyed this novel. A Gothic page-turner, it kept me interested and on the edge of my seat from the prologue to the surprising ending. Highly recommended for fans of Gothic literature.

I’d like to thank the publisher, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Mother's want to protect their children. Weird things are going on. A good page turner, fall is a great time to read this one for some extra creepiness.

The Shadow House

Ok, so The Shadow House is not typical of the genre I read most often, but the description intrigued me, and I have to say that I am happy I read it! This book was impossible to put down. I never truly felt like I knew what was going to happen next. The book is full of unexpected twists and turns. Here is the basic gist of the story without giving it away.

Alex, mom of two, is running from a scary ex-husband, desperately wanting to keep her children safe and give them a good life. She finds herself renting a small home in a small eco-community. I have to say this community gave off the creepy vibes from the beginning- it just felt so awkward. She isn't there long before weird things begin to happen. I'm talking dead animals and blood on the walls and more strange things. This is just the beginning as exciting twists and turns continue to unfold.
The community that she moved into sits on a property that was once a farm. The farmhouse sits abandoned after the farmer's son disappeared and was never seen or heard from again. There are a lot of tales about what went on in this farming family's home, giving the reader the vibe that something sinister had happened. Alex becomes concerned that her son will face the same sinister outcome that the farmer's son met.

This story is told from two different time frames, Alex's current time frame and the farming family's time frame. The back and forth builds intrigue as you wait to find out how these two stories are connected, how things will turn out for Alex and her children, and what happened to the farmer's son! Anna Downes keeps the reader guessing throughout this fast-paced thriller.

I read this one right around Halloween and ooooooh did it ever give me the however jeebees!!
❤️
Alex brings her kids to Pine Ridge for a fresh start, but strange things start happening from the day she arrives. I loved seeing how the story unfolded and getting to the truth behind all of the madness.
💙
This is definitely a great read for the spook factor alone, but it's also an awesome story - very well written and suspenseful.

How far will one woman go to protect her children?

Now, I am yet to be a parent BUT I have heard my mother tell me numerous times she would lie cheat steal and kill to protect her kids so when it comes to the love a mother has for her children, I know it is immense and can not be physically measured.

Some secrets are meant to stay buried, but when Alex has an idea in her head she will stop at nothing until she has accomplished what she set out to do.

Alex is a single mother to two beautiful children. Running from a past she wants nothing more than to leave behind her, she has moved to a new town for a new beginning.

Park Ridge, seems to be everything she hoped it would be but then weird and mysterious things start to occur in the house. Alex is done running, she wants to expose the hidden secrets of the house and face them head on but is she putting herself and her children right in the line of danger?

Pick up this spooky read to find out!

This was a fast paced, gut wrenching thriller that had me guessing until the very end. I absolutely loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little murder mystery with a side of horror!

Wow! I have to say, The Shadow House was full of unexpected twists and turns. I should have expected this, since I read and loved Anna Downes' first book, but I didn’t expect it again and it was thrilling!!

Alex is running from an ex in an effort to protect her children. She seeks shelter at a small eco community. Strange things start happening almost before she arrives, and these twists and turns will keep the reader on their toes guessing what is to come. Dead animals, dolls, blood on the walls…what is next? When Alex discovers that the son of the farmer that previously owned the property disappeared, she nearly leaves the community to protect her children, as she sees startling similarities between the disappearance of the farmer’s son and the events she is currently experiencing.

This story is told with flashbacks to the events leading up to the disappearance of the farmer's son, through the eyes of his mother, Renee. What is the common thread between Alex and Renee? Other mothers have lived on this property without experiencing these traumatic events. Will Alex's son disappear like Renee's? Or will Alex leave in time? What happened to Renee's son after his disappearance? Anna Downes keeps the reader guessing and questioning throughout this fast paced thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books, and Anna Downes for the advance copy!!
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Preorder now so you don't miss the April 5, 2022 release date!!

I had really enjoyed Anna Downes first book, The Safe Place, but The Shadow House was not as good. I didn't feel much of a connection to the characters or the setting. It had a level of creepiness to it I wasn't expecting. The ending was surprising - I definitely hadn't figured out what had happened to Gabriel. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Hard book for me to get into. I would read a while and put it down. Finally got into the story and was able finish it. Interesting story once I got into it. Didn’t expect the ending.

Runaway Family Plus Solar Power Plus Witchcraft Equals Blood and Mystery

The green and progressive community in which The Shadow House resides at first had a new age vibe that reminded me of communal living in the 60s. At first impression, it didn't seem that it would be a good fit for Alex, and certainly not for her kids, though it was definitely enough off the beaten path to hide them away. And then things quickly got creepy.

I enjoyed the way Anna Downes built the story up, with threats coming from every direction. It's important to me that I can't be certain of who or what is behind the problems and events the main characters face, and she did that well. The characters were well-developed and I found it easy to like, fear, or dislike each of them.

I was happy to receive a free advanced review copy of the book courtesy of the author, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. I give my uninfluenced and honest endorsement freely as well: it's a wonderful, disturbing, and spooky read!

The Shadow House is creepy, suspenseful, and impossible to put down!! If you are a fan of mysteries, you will absolutely love the plot line that Anna Downes so perfectly wrote. I am a huge fan of mysteries & thrillers, so I have high expectations, and this one left me saying WOW!

This book is a dark extremely tense mystery focusing on a mother who will do whatever it takes to protect her children. The book was a little to creepy, witchy for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

To escape an abusive relationship, Alex and her two children flee to the utopian commune of Pine Ridge. The rural community seems everything she wanted it to be at first, but slowly things begin to unravel as weird packages show up on her doorstep and odd things begin to happen. Told in dual narratives of Alex and Renee, a woman whose son disappears under mysterious circumstances, the story is layered together in past and present.

I did enjoy this book. It was a nice, smooth read that was tinged in darkness. I would have liked it to lean more into the darkness, actually, but it was a good balance. I thought the ending was disappointing, but it wasn't horrible. The characters were well built and fleshed out. Overall, this is a nice way to spend a rainy day.

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the tale of two moms set years apart. Renee, her husband, and her son live in a large farmhouse. One day when her son is a teen, strange things begin happening: boxes with dead animals are left on the doorstep, weird dolls are found, and the walls are covered in blood. Then, her son goes missing. The story of the boy’s odd disappearance sparks a legend of a witch who will leave you disturbing “gifts” and then steal your son. Is it true?

Six years later, Alex, a single mom with a troubled past, is looking for a fresh start. She believes she’s found it when she moves her baby girl and teen son to Renee’s old farm, which is now called Pine Ridge, a remote ecovillage. However, once the weird gifts begin to appear and she is told the legend of the witch, Alex second guesses her decision.

When I started reading this one I was surprised as there’s no mention of a witch or anything supernatural in the synopsis. However, it wasn’t a bad surprise—it made the book just unsettling/creepy enough– and I think the author blended Renee’s and Alex’s stories well.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to Anna Downes and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book.

Overall I enjoyed this book..I liked the opposing timelines and similar plot. A lot of time was spent on family discussions and maybe a little too much. I liked the mystery and found it to be an interesting read.

DNF - I was totally bored and not invested in these characters whatsoever. I tried multiple times to get into it - read part on a 2 hour flight but just was bored. I wanted to keep going but there's only so much time for reading and I felt this was a waste. I won't post on Goodreads as I DNF and don't want to skew any opinions.

What a fantastic mystery! A spooky, twisty read that will resonate with any parent trying to do what’s best for their kids. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Alex and her two kids move to what she believes is the perfect community for them, but strange things start happening and she wonders if it is somehow related to the disappearance of a teenage boy several years earlier and if something similar might happen to her son. This was okay. I just really couldn't get that into it. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

It truly was a really good read and I'm a bit puzzled by some of the lower reviews for it. This had a great premises and a wonderful back drop. I had so much fun reading and while some things were predictable others definitely weren't.

A fun engaging read that I think more like me, fans of both mysteries and thrillers, will really enjoy.